Battery-powered candles reflected off of tabletop mirrors. The whir of the espresso machines mingled with the dulcet tones of an acoustic guitar. Students piled on couches, the floor and the laps of their friends to join in on the love that filled the air.
The love of music, that is.
The Student Activity Board hosted a “For the Love of Music” coffee house at the Jammin’ Java on Feb. 11 to bring together couples and singletons alike for a pre-Valentine’s Day celebration.
“We didn’t want it to be a couples thing… which would scare away all the single people,” said junior Dani Craig, Performing Arts Coordinator for the Student Activities Board.
So instead of making the coffee house all about the lovey-dovey, mushy affection that often transpires between romantic partners, the Student Activities Board wanted to “bring everyone together for the love of music” to “sing along and just groove,” Craig said.
It was a refreshing spin on the typical Valentine’s Day fanfare but didn’t cramp the style of the aforementioned couples, or those who were single and ready to mingle.
Musically inclined Eastern students graced the large crowd with their talents by singing, playing the guitar and jamming on the piano. Among the performers were senior Jerome Scott and first-year Steve Chandy. Scott, who also expresses his musical gift through the medium of our school musicals, performed his own rendition of John Legend’s “So High” that rivaled even the original.
First-year Madison Goldbach and sophomore Brandon Kopp teamed up to perform Norah Jones’ “Nightingale.”
Several students shared original pieces, including senior Avery Bazan, Goldbach and Kopp. Goldbach continued to deliver by performing a few originals that elicited a response of awe-inspired silence followed by uproarious applause from the audience.
A common thread throughout the night, revealed through conversation with attendees, was friendship with and support for the performers. “I came to support Jerome,” senior Joe Ferry said. “And for this,” he said, holding up one of the pink coupons for $1 off any beverage at the Jammin’ Java.
First-year Alexa Chiafullo was there to support her roommate and was quick to tell how fortunate she felt to be able to witness her creative process.
Maybe we’re beginning to see a paradigm shift when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Perhaps it is becoming a day not just for couples but also for friendship and camaraderie. Or perhaps it was the power of the music that created a common bond amongst everyone in attendance, a bond that can only form from the love of music.